7 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW
ABOUT GRACE CODDINGTON
Yesterday the news came that Grace Coddington (74) is stepping down as creative director at Vogue US after years and years of loyal service. Not that she's retiring, oh no. Grace will definitely continue making fashion series and will focus on ‘other projects’. We will still see Grace, but the era of Wintour-Coddington has come to an end, which is a nice reason to tell you how cool Grace is.
1. Grace (who was then still called Pamela, Pam for intimates) grew up in a small English village where her parents ran a hotel. Even then, the monthly delivery of Vogue was something she looked forward to and gave her a glimpse of the rest of the world.
2. Grace started her career in the modeling world as a model. Her first job was actually a nude series for photographer Norman Parkinson. Grace was a big model until she had a car accident that left her with a scar on her eye and had to say goodbye to her modeling career. Then she started as a stylist.
3. The funny fact is that Grace was one of the first to wear the bob haircut. The hairstyle that the woman she would spend so many years with, namely Anna Wintour, became so famous for. Grace modeled for hairdresser Vidal Sassoon (you probably know him from the shampoos, but he was actually a hairdresser. By the way, Vidal Sassoon helped the father of Tamara Mellon from Jimmy Choo amass his fortune because he set up all those Vidal Sassoon salons in America. I'm digressing...).
4. When Grace Coddington joined Instagram, she posted a drawing (she really draws amazingly) showing her two cats and herself topless on a beach chair. She was immediately kicked off Instagram for obscene images. Of course, Grace immediately arranged to be let back on and took sweet revenge by making another drawing of her cats who were naked but covered their ‘noble parts’ with their paws. Below was a dialogue from one cat to the other saying:
“Good grief Pumpkin, Mother drew a nude selfie for her very first Instagram. no wonder they shut her down … she is much fatter than that.”
5. You might not say it now, but Grace has had a lot of interesting lovers. From restaurant owner Michael Chow to a famous photographer and I believe also a fling with Mick Jagger. She has been with hairstylist Didier Malige for many years now. She is very happy with him (definitely) but also because he regularly touches up her gray hair regularly touches up.
6. Grace has not had children. She was once pregnant but that pregnancy ended in such a sad way. Grace lived in the London district of Chelsea and was in her little car when a horde of drunk and angry football fans walked down her street. They picked her and her little car up and tipped it over. Really. And then Grace lost her baby. Too sad.
7. Grace's sister has not led a very smooth life. In Grace's autobiography, she writes that her sister was addicted to alcohol and drugs, which even led to her death. Since then, Grace has been taking care of her nephew Tristan. Since he was eight, Grace has been his second mother.
